candidefandomcom-20200213-history
Literary Concepts in Candide
Satire SATIRE IS '''defined as a form of literary criticism used to attack or poke fun at a debatable moral, religious, or social phenomenon, belief, or idea. Satire came into popularity during the Englightenment in England as a vehicle for controversial criticism using literary or other artistic mediums to question or oppose ideas. The use of satire is often found to be effective in evoking the ridiculousness or inane quality of certain principles, phenomenons, beliefs, or ideas. Satire usually relies on employment of exaggeration of the flaws or qualities of its opposition to show the overarching flaw it supports as well as irony and ridicule. '''Types of Satire Formal Satire: ''directly addresses the audience or reader in the work ''Indirect Satire: ''employs form of a fictional narrative relying on principles of ridicule, irony, and exaggeration ''Horatian Satire: ''relies on good-humored criticism; focused more on the aspect of humor ''Juvenalian Satire: ''involves a caustic or harsh attack on its opposition '''Satire in Television' The 90s television show, Dinosaurs,'' employed satire to criticize a myriad of modern sociological issues during its airtime. For example, in the episode, "Network Genius," ''Dinosaurs ''satirized the American nuclear family and media dependancy throughout the nation by exaggerating the effects of television on the general populace. The creators of ''Dinosaurs ''created the main character, father and husband Earl Sinclair, to be representative of an increasingly ambitionless, media-dependant society. During the show, the world of the Sinclair family is affected by choices of television network executives in an extreme fashion--either on a dismal, detrimental level or a bizarrely positive, intellectual level. The shows shown within the world of the Sinclair family satirize mindless American television by ridiculing their appeal to overly-sentimental ploys through a box of puppies, or bright colors and catchy jingles through a show dependant exclusively on colored squares. By exaggerating the effects and power of television, the creators subliminally suggest the use of multi-plot, multi-thread story lines while simultaneously criticizing both the producers and consumers of media to evoke reform. Propaganda Propaganda is information of a misleading or biased nature that is used to promote a point of view. The following are types of propaganda, their definitions, and examples of them. 1. Transfer- the act of relating someone or something we like or respect with a product. Symbols are often used with this form. Because the Bank of America's signature symbol resembles a flag, and uses our countries colors, it makes it very patriotic. This could make many Americans who are proud of their country inclined to join this bank, therefore it successfully utilizes the methods of transfer propaganda. 2. Testimonial- the use of well known or respected people to endorse a product or service. Because Shaq is a well known athlete who would have a reason to use this product, it lends credibilty to the advertisers, and would convince fans of Shaq to buy Icy Hot, making this an example of testimonial propaganda. 3. Glittering Generalities- the act of referring to words or ideas that evoke a positive emotional response from an audience. This is a picture of Macy's Department Store Slogan "The magic of Macy's." The word magic is used to convey a sense of an enchanting environment, that they can "magically" transform an ordinary woman into looking like a celebrity. This use of the word magic has a subconsious effect on those who see advertisements or choose to shop there, and is a good use of glittering generalities. 4. Plain Folks- the use of everyday people to sell a product or service. Speakers in ads appear to make the viewer feel like they are that pers on, that that product could work well for them too. Subway uses their spokesperson Jared for plainfolks propaganda. Jared is a seemingly normal, everyday kind of guy who used to be overweight. He states that he lost weight by eating Subway's food, giving other consumers the impression that if they follow in his footsteps by dining on Subway food, they too will achieve his outstanding results. 5. Bandwagon- attempts to persuade the target audience to take a course o f action "everyone else is taking." "Join the crowd." This reinforces the natural desire to be on the winning side. In this commercial, the company Proactiv chooses to not only use the testimonial of a celebrity, but includes various pictures of consumers who have used the product and their results. It refers to Proactiv as America's #1 skincare product, resulting in consumers feeling as though they should go along with the rest of their country by using this item. 6. Cardstacking- strategy of showing the products best features and down playing it's negative sides. In this commercial, those who were previously depressed are shown in a happier light after assumingly taking the medication advertised. While these light hearted scenes are playing, the narrator mentions the side effects or possible risks of the medication. This is a sneaky way of directing the audiences attention to the emotional outcomes for the people on the screen, instead of listening closely to the downsides of the medicine, thus making it a cardstacking example. Although all of these examples are from advertisements, propaganda can be seen in other parts of our lives, especially so in literature. Characters are constantly using propaganda against and for each other, and the author even uses it against the reader in the case of the unreliable narrator. If you look closely, these forms of propaganda can be seen in the context of the literature you read, as well as the world around you. Auto-da-fé Auto-da-fé was the Inquisitions practice of a public penance of heretics. It was the final step in the Inquisition process. An extreme form of this penance or punishment was burning at the stake, and over time auto-da-fé has become widely known as the act of being burned alive at the hands of Inquisition authorities. The Inquistion started in the Middle Ages, when appointed "Inquisitors" or officials of the Inquisition, tortured and killed these heratics, which were anyone who opposed Catholicism or orthodox Christian Doctrine. Jews, Muslims, Protestants, and accused witches were victims of auto-da-fé. The ritual of auto-da-fé was where the heratic or prisoner's sentence would be proclaimed and administered. Held in public places, the victims would either be acquitted, or brutally punished while bystanders looked on. It was considered a form of penitance for the bystanders as well, because by being involved they were asking for their own sins to be forgiven Deism Deism is a theological belief originating during the Ages of Reason and The Enlightenment in the 17th/18th centuries. This belief holds reason in a higher position than faith, and rejects the general belief in a benevolent creator. It evolved from the interest many found in making scientific revelations, and basing their beliefs upon those rather than a spiritual entity. However, deists do believe in a form of God, a personal one based on reason. According to deists, there was a creator God, but after the creation of the universe, he disassociated from it and partakes in no further involvement with his creation. Essentially, they believe that God has abandoned the earth and left humans to their own devices, placing reason in the position of utmost importance. Noble Savage The term noble savage expresses the concept of the "natural man." This is the belief that in their natural state, human beings are essentially good. Evil is simply the result of societal stress and traumatizing experiences. In literature, noble savage is expressed through the theme that withdrawal from society and closeness to nature strengthens man's morals and inherent goodness. The concept was used in Western literature to put a spotlight on how morally corrupt advanced European societies were. Nom de plume ''IN LITERATURE'', '''a "nom de plume" is recognized as a term synonymous with a "pen name" or pseudonym used to conceal or alter identity for purpose of protection or literary effect. Throughout history, many authors adopted a "nom de plume" to protect themselves from the repercussions of writing about controversial or forbidden subject matter. In French, "nom de plume" translates to mean "name of pen." Use of a "nom de plume" was also popular among female authors during times of female oppression or discrimination. In some cases, works published under a "nom de plume" are published again posthumorously under the author's true name. '''Famous examples of a "nom de plume" in Literature Nom de plume: Voltaire True name: ''Francois-Marie Arouet ''Famous Text: Candide Reason for adopting a nom de plume: controversial subject matter Nom de plume: Victoria Lucas True name: ''Sylvia Plath ''Famous Text: The Bell Jar Reason for adopting a nom de plume: semi-autobiographical qualities in text Nom de plume: Boz True name: ''Charles Dickens ''Famous Text: Great Expectations Reason for adopting a nom de plume: chance at good publicity for a beginning author Nom de plume: Currer Bell True name: ''Charlotte Bronte ''Famous Text: Jane Erye Reason for adopting a nom de plume: ''concealment of gender ''Nom de plume: George Orwell True name: ''Eric Arthur Blair ''Famous Text: 1984 Reason for adopting a nom de plume: politically controversial subject matter (citation) Panglossian 'IN THE '''text, ''Candide, Pangloss is Candide's excessively optimistic and seemingly naive tutor. The character of Pangloss is used to exaggerate and ridicule the philosophy of Optimism. It has also inspired the term "panglossian" or relating to Dr. Pangloss's ideas and teachings. In literature, a panglossian view has come to describe being related to the idea that the present world is the best of all possible worlds. Panglossianism is often described with an undertone of disbelief and exhibited with satirical work.